This invention relates to electric irons for ironing clothing and other items, and specifically to electric irons that include safety mechanisms for causing the irons to lift away from operating surfaces whenever they are left unattended.
Currently, most electric irons on the market are provided with a temperature adjustment function for the user to select the most favorable temperature for the material of the clothing. A thermostat will cut off power automatically when the iron reaches the required temperature. However, the thermostat is a passive safety feature. It only detects the temperature of the iron""s soleplate, but it cannot prevent an accident that may be caused by carelessly leaving the iron in a horizontal position.
During the ironing process, it is often necessary that both the operator""s hands be employed for manipulating the item being ironed or to remove the item and replace it with another. In such instances, the iron must be left un-held. If the iron is merely allowed to remain with the soleplate against the ironing board cover, sufficient heat will accumulate to raise the temperature beneath the iron to a level where the cover will sustain thermal damage such as scorching, burning or ignition. Furthermore, when there are frequent interruptions during ironing, as a result of which the iron may be accidentally left with the soleplate on the article being ironed resulting in thermal damage of that article. To avoid such damage, the heel portion of most irons is configured in a manner such that the iron can be balanced thereupon in an upright position, thereby removing the soleplate from contact with the article being ironed or with the ironing board cover. However, in such upright position, the iron is usually unstable with respect to toppling, and can easily fall off the ironing board. There are also known various types of irons equipped with means to automatically effect disengagement of the soleplate from contact with the article being ironed or with the ironing board cover when the iron is not being used by raising the iron into an inclined position intermediate between an upright position and a horizontal position.
None of the safety mechanisms mentioned above have come into widespread use primarily because in none of them is the resting position of the iron with the soleplate horizontal and therefore the need to repeatedly manipulate the iron from the horizontal working disposition to an upright or inclined temporary or storage disposition is in itself a tedious chore.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,285 describes a scorch prevention electric iron having two modes of operation during the ironing process, namely: a natural up-mode wherein the iron rides on a plurality of ball bearing glide assemblies with balls which extend from bores in the lower surface of the sole plate to hold the lower surface of the sole plate out of contact with the material being ironed; and a down-mode of operation wherein pressure upon the handle of the iron causes the balls of the ball bearing glide assembles to be retracted upwardly beyond the lower surface of the sole plate to allow the sole plate to engage the material being ironed. When the iron is in its natural up-mode of operation, it possesses the unique capability of steam ironing fabric materials such as nylon, silk, and rayon, which normally scorch or burn easily, without burning or scorching the material being ironed. When the iron is in its natural up-mode of operation, the iron rides or glides on the balls of ball bearing glide assemblies during the ironing process, with the sole plate being out of engagement with the material being ironed, to eliminate or reduce the possibility of the material being scorched or burned. When ironing material that is not easily scorched or burned as is nylon, silk or rayon, the user can apply pressure to the handle of the iron to place the iron in its down-mode of operation wherein the sole plate actually engages the material being ironed during the ironing process. When a user is not actually engaged in the ironing process, the user""s release of the handle of the iron will cause the balls of the ball bearing glide assemblies to be extended beyond the lower surface of the sole plate to hold the sole plate out of contact with the material and/or the ironing board.
In this prior art iron, the balls of the ball bearing glide assemblies normally protrude beyond the under surface of the soleplate due to the urging of a compression spring in each bearing glide assembly. In order to iron material in the down-mode of operation, i.e., with the balls of the ball bearing glide assemblies retracted upwardly beyond the lower surface of the sole plate, a downward force has to be applied to the handle of the iron in order to overcome the forces in the compression springs. This downward force has to be applied constantly whilst ironing in this mode of operation. Furthermore, it is clear that in the down-mode of operation the balls will slightly protrude from the bores in the soleplate since ironing boards are always covered with a soft material. The soft material cannot withstand the compression forces in the springs and therefore the balls will be forced out of the bores in the soleplate by the compression springs compressing the soft material between the balls and the ironing board. Clearly, an item being ironed in this mode of operation will have marks produced on it by the balls. This is one disadvantage if this prior art iron. Another disadvantage is that when a user is not actually engaged in the ironing process, the user""s release of the handle of the iron, i.e., the non-application of a downward force on the handle, will cause the balls of the ball bearing glide assemblies to be extended beyond the lower surface of the sole plate to hold the sole plate out of contact with the material and/or the ironing board. However, in this position the iron is adapted to ride or glide on the balls of the ball bearing glide assemblies and therefore will not be stable against horizontal forces.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-lifting electric iron that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a self-lifting electric iron comprising:
a body having a top and a bottom;
a soleplate comprising at least a portion of the bottom of the body, the soleplate having a bottom surface for ironing an article;
the bottom of the body being provided with a plurality of retractable support rods that are movable from a first position in which the retractable support rods protrude from the bottom of the body beyond the bottom surface, forming a stand for supporting the iron in a horizontal stable position with the soleplate removed from the article being ironed or from an ironing board cover, to a second position in which the plurality of retractable support rods are located within the body;
a handle at the top of the body, to be gripped during use; and
a support switch located on the handle with the support switch being in a first state and the plurality of retractable support rods in the first position when the handle is not gripped, and when the handle is gripped the support switch changes state to a second state and the plurality of retractable support rods move to the second position.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of retractable support rods comprises three retractable support rods.
Preferably, one support rod of the three retractable support rods is located at a front end of the iron and two retractable support rods of the three retractable support rods are located at a rear end of the iron.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, when the three retractable support rods are in the first position, each of the retractable support rods protrudes through a bore in the soleplate.
If desired, the three retractable support rods are made of a thermally insulating material.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, when the retractable support rods are in the first position, the one support rod located at the front end of the iron protrudes through a bore in the soleplate, and the two retractable support rods located at the rear of the iron protrude from a portion of the bottom of the body exterior to the soleplate.
Quite generally, in the first position each support rod has a free end distal the soleplate and if desired, each support rod is provided with a thermally insulating member attached to the free end thereof, the thermally insulating member having a generally planar support surface for abutting the article being ironed or the ironing board cover and for supporting the iron, when the support rod is in the first position.
Preferably, when each support rod is in the second position, the support surfaces are substantially flush with the bottom surface of the soleplate.
In accordance with present invention, each support rod is mounted in a housing for reciprocatory movement with respect to the housing, with the plurality of retractable support rods being maintained in the first position by means of at least one biased spring, and with the plurality of retractable support rods being moved from the first position to the second position by means of at least one actuating member.
In accordance with a first specific application, the at least one biased spring comprises a plurality of first springs, each support rod of the plurality of retractable support rods being in operative association with a separate single first spring of the plurality of first springs, and the at least one actuating member comprises a plurality of support units.
Typically, each support unit has a longitudinal axis and comprises the housing, the housing having a upper and lower ends, with a generally cylindrical longitudinally extending chamber, extending from the upper end of the housing to the lower end of the housing, an air outlet at the upper end of the housing and a circular opening at the lower end of the housing, the support rod being located in the chamber and reciprocatively moveable through the hole, the first biased spring attached at one end to the upper end of the housing and at the other end to the support rod, the support rod has an annular disk extending radially outwardly from a portion of the support rod distal the free end, the annular disk dividing the chamber into two chambers, a steam chamber extending from the adjacent the lower end of the housing and an air chamber, extending from adjacent the upper end of the housing, a steam inlet for receiving steam under pressure from an external steam source, via an inner steam pipe, for moving the support rod from the first position to the second position and for transferring steam away from the steam chamber, via the inner steam pipe when the support rod is moved from the first position to the second position by means of the first spring.
In accordance with a second specific application, the at least one biased spring comprises a single spring and the at least one actuating member comprises a solenoid that is mechanically coupled to the single spring.
Typically, an assembly of levers connected to a strut-like member communicates between the solenoid and the plurality of retractable support rods, to move the plurality of retractable support rods from the first position to the second position.